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SPIDER-GWEN with Kate (and Dan)

::Dan comes home and the Asylum in St. Paul has a distinct odor. It smells distinctly like the Minnesota State Fair::

Dan: I know I’m going to regret asking this, but why does it smell like the Great Minnesota Get Together?

Kate: I nailed a huge presentation at work today! So to celebrate, I get to eat ALL THE CORN DOGS. ::holds up corn dog stick::

D: You don’t like corn dogs. You won’t eat them when we go to the State Fair, why would you make them at home? Now our house smells like the State Fair in the middle of the winter, and we can’t open the windows because it’s 100 degrees below zero. Everything smells like corn dogs and there isn’t enough Fabreeze in the world to make that stink go away. Dear lord, Kate, what have you done?

D: Spider-Gwen? Don’t you mean Spider-Man? And need I remind you that Peter Parker is a guy?

K: She came out of that Spider-Verse event who-ha. Haven’t you seen the people talking about it on the Inter-webs? It’s kind of a big thing. (It’s all multi-dimensional crazy-town. Honestly, I don’t get it, but it’s a thing. I think there’s a Spider-Pig or something.) You really should read up on this kind of stuff, being a Comics Editor and all. That’s why you get business cards.

D: You’re referring to Spider-Ham. He is, as they say, a big deal. Gimme that SPIDER-GWEN book so I can see what the rest of the fuss is all about.

K: Ok, for those of us (points to self) who don’t read 15 comics a week, but did see the last few (crappy) SPIDER-MAN flicks, how the heck is pretty Emma Stone a super-hero?!

D: Easy. When Dan Slott launched his mega Spider-Verse event, it was a great way to tell a cosmic style story and include all the crazy alternate reality “What If?” style versions of the Web Slinger. And the idea of a “Gwen Stacy who lives and becomes the victim of the spider bite and Peter ends up dying,” well… that was an idea that was too much fun not to do. And then, that internet you’re always going on about? Well, they LOVED IT. SPIDER-GWEN was a massive hit after her first appearance. Marvel would have been silly to not give her her own book. And you know who wins?

Everyone. Because the book rocks.

K: Writer Jason Latour launches SPIDER-GWEN in a post-Peter Parker alternate world where mayor J Jonah Jameson has already declared her a menace to society. This world’s Spider-Woman (only the book is called SPIDER-GWEN) starts out with the cards stacked against her. She just needs to capture the bad guy, prove she isn’t a menace, and then it’s all corn dogs from there.

D: It’s a little more nuanced than that, Red, but you’ve got the idea. A retired OSCORP employee who is calling himself The Vulture is out to take down our Gwen. Meanwhile, Gwen’s dad Captain Stacy, who found out about his daughter’s crime-fighting habit, is trying to prove that Gwen isn’t as horrible as the mayor says she is. As if this isn’t enough for Gwen, she quit playing in her band, The Mary Janes, and the band desperately needs her to come back.

K: Whew! That’s a lot of action in just one issue. I think SPIDER-GWEN is to the Marvel Universe as Batgirl is to the DC Universe. The writing is very witty and the dialogue is clever. Gwen takes her super-heroing seriously, but has fun with it at the same time. Like when she’s trying to draw out The Vulture, she sprays building-wide graffiti all over the city, including the hilarious “Death from A Butt”.

D: I knew you’d fall for that one. The expressive and dynamic artwork of Robbi Rodriguez makes this book stand apart from the other Spider-books on the shelf. His figures all seem to be in constant motion, and his facial expressions are fantastic.

K: As more and more women read comic books, it’s wonderful to see more strong female characters get their own books. SPIDER-GWEN is a strong, independent woman whose costume is functional, and she doesn’t run the risk of exposing all of her lady bits if a punch doesn’t land right. She knows what needs to be done (eliminate the bad guys) and tries to get the job done. This book makes me cheer. All y’all better be reading it. Otherwise, I’m coming over to have a… talk with you all.

D: Personally, I can’t wait to see all of the Spider-Gwen cosplay at C2E2 this year!